Authors: Bronwyn Massie, Michael Bastin
Year: 2017
Event: 2017 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Research & Evaluation Informing Practice,Change, Innovation, Reform,Workforce
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: This paper will briefly share: the value of expanding our lived experience workforce to include a carer consultant with a systems level focus aimed at influencing practice; and we will discuss our priorities for improvements in achieving the greatest impact on the inclusion of carers and families in a recovery-oriented community managed mental health service in Melbourne. There is an abundance of valuable research, policy, standards, legislation and guidelines that refer to the needs and rights of carers of people with mental illness. They call for meaningful involvement of carers and family around the need of the people they care for and their participation in the improvement of services. Yet it has been challenging to achieve in practice at a service delivery level. To successfully include consumers, carers and family in genuine partnership we need to be willing to challenge our attitudes, learn from each other, invest in change and provide ongoing support to the workforce to embrace this in practice.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1:
Insight into what one community managed mental health service is learning and doing to broaden practice to work with consumers, carers and families.
Learning Objective 2:
• Carers and families play an enormous informal care role. As mental health consumers move into NDIS it is essential to understand the importance and value of the informal care they provide. As well as recognising the carers needs to reduce their burden and to ensure NDIS can adequately plan for the right level s of formal care in the scheme.
• Recognising and supporting carers and families in their informal care relationships can assist carers in their role, reduce the burden of caring and help them to maintain their own mental health.
• Carer and family support can be effective in supporting consumer recovery.
References
MIND Australia, Helping Minds, Private Mental Health Consumer Network (Australia), Mental Health Carer Arafmi Australia and Mental Health Australia. (2016). A practical guide for working with carers of people with mental illness. Australia. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthcarersaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/A-Practical-Guide-for-working-with-people-with-a-mental-illness-February-2016.pdf
Mottaghipour, Y., & Birkerton, A. (2005). The pyramid of family care: a framework for family involvement with adult mental health services. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 4(3), 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.psychodyssey.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/The-Pyramid-of-Family-Care.pdf
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